ãm ffi ffi ffi A Do-lt-Yourself Walking Tour 'SØelcome to Governors Island! This self-guided tour will help you explore some of the wonderful places GOVERNORS Start Here Small Ferry Dock on the island. All of the stops on the tour are in bold ISLAND FERRY ,/ Dock 101 and correspond to the building numbers on the map. LANDING d o NATIONAL MONUMENT cJo Building 140 was originally part of the New York Arsenal. ün PARADE Tour begins at Buildingr4S,the ferrywaiting GROUNDS room, which has restrooms and vending machines 4 withwater, soft drinks and snacks. I Across the street is Building r4o, the National Park Service visitor information center and bookstore, dú books aboutthe history of New York City, its harbor and the military eras connected with Governors Island. National Park Service rangers and volunteers can help answer questions. Please fill out a comment sheet and, if you're an island "alumnus," share your experiences about living here. rt-T-- Charge up the hill to the cannon surrounded by re flos.ers. IEilEEI Turn right at the cannon onto Andes Road and walk past the long brick Building rro. It is the last and largest in a series of warehouses constructed for the New York Arsenal, located here from t833to r9zo. F Because of its location, Governors Island was ffiqE strategically important in the defense of New York Harbor. It was a key distribution center for arms and ammunition for other army posts up and down the lnterior of Quarters 403 on Brick Row, 1995. Atlantic Coast, and the island arsenal was always officers and their families. Other older army posts prepared to supply a military post in time of need. ffi m ry have the same style of brick officers'residences. The a¡senal was run by the Army's Ordnance m The interior of Castle Williams,2OO4. Brick Row was waterfront property until the area Departrnent, with its own commanding general, across Hay Road was filled by dirt and rocks post a post. making it an military within military Castle \ú¡illiams is one of the best remaining removed from Lexington Avenue subway line After the a¡senal left the island, Buildingîro became examples of an earlyAmerican desþed coastal between City Hall and Grand Central Terminal in the island's "city hall," with administrative offices for fortification. Constmcted between r8o7-r8rr, Castle the early rgoos . The landfill increased the size of the the Army post and Coast Guard base. Today there is nØilliams was used to defend the harbor, as a recruit island from 7o to r72 acres. a design competition exhibit about the new park barracks, and temporary prisoner of war holding proposed for the south end of the island. Check it facility for Confederate soldiers during the Civil \Øar Building Liggett Hall, named for General out. 4oo, in 1862. It was an Army disciplinary barracks until Hunter Liggett, was the fi¡st structure built during a 1965. wave of new constructioninrgzg that replaced Between Buildings rro and rr¡ is a stone with a deteriorating temporary wood barracks left over bronze plaque that commemorates the namesake from \íorld IØar I. Inrgoz, Secretary of 'SØar Elihu of Andes Road. Most of the streets on the island are Root, aNewYorker, asked McKim, Mead and 'White named after those who died during combat in \7orld to draw up a ne\ry master plan for the newly SØar I ryry-ryß. The 16ü Infantry Regiment was one enlarged island. He went against Ïíar Department of the first regiments sent to France inryr7.IØhen staffwho soughtto they made Governors Island their home from rgzo to demolish FortJay r94o, they provided many of the island's place and Castle \Øilliams. names. Look for other plaques along the way. Root wanted to keep the old forts and tear Buildings rrr, rr2 and rr4 are examples of r93os- down everything else. era residential construction on the island. The two Diana AthonvarangkuYNPS In the end neither L-shaped Georgian Revival buildings were homes to planwas carried out. the families of mid-rankingArmy officers. ln the "baby boom" of the years after World War ll, the post hospital was a busy place. Just fewyards from the hospital, Building rr4 served During the planning as nurses'quarters. for Liggett Hall, then Building5r5 was the post hospital, designed congressman and in 1935 by McKim, Mead and White, one New All three of these buildings were designed by Rogers of later New York York City's most famous architectu¡al firms. & Poor ht934, a New York City architectural firm mayor, Fiorello that designed the \Øright Brothers Memorial at Kitty LaGuardia, beganto Hawk, North Carolina. Continuing along Hay Road, stroll past Colonel's push for an airport in Row. Historically known as "Brick Rowr" these NewYork City, houses were constmcted between 1893 and r9r7 as an viewingthe newly effort to improve the quality of housing for Army enlarged Governors Archway of Liggett Hall, 1995. Island as the spot for a that airport. the r88o's a courts martial hall were addedl. By t9o4 LaGuardia did get built - but it's in Queens! the building became an ârnüsern€Dt hall and lecture room for enlisted men. In r93o's and again in the Building serves as one of the "book ends" 1¡¡ifþ IlJo's the building was renovated for use as the Building55o the massive Liggett Halt. Building officers club. 333 served as for a Women's Army Corps unit. Building 293,, aformer Super 8 motel, (1986) The buoy, was an island landmark is one of the few non-historic buildings on this part and a of many family holiday cards of the island It replaced a r88os era guest house that duringthe Guard years when the island was sat on the same site and served visitors to the Coast Guard base. The gray stone Building 13 is the Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion. In 1844 Rev. John McVickar, an Episcopal priest from Trinity Church Quarters 2, the "Governor's House" in 1984. r8ft century construction for the British Royal Governor, this building was really built about r8r3. The building has undergone numerous practical and cosmetic alterations. It was originally constructed to be the post's main guard house, but was subsequently used to house the post's commanding officer, a purpose for which it was remodeled in 1824. IØhen the Admiral's House was built in 1843, the Governor's House probably returned to use as a "Buoy" The and Lady of the Sea Chapel guard house and, at times, the headquarters of various commands. Inrgzz the building was not only the Coast Guard base in the world, st. cornelius interior and exterior in 1996. returned to use as a residence. but a small town, and home in r99o to 3ooo people another zooo daily commuters. on'Wall Street, took it on himself to serve as Governors Island's chaplain. He helped construct a From the buoy, you can see many of the wooden chapel in 1847, where the tennis courts are buildings that this "small town." today. The present church was completecl inr9o6. Follow the sidewalk by the bell tower, pas,s the church and turn left where you enter into the Building 3 the white wooden military-style officers'housing area known as chapel built in is Our Lady Star of the Sea Nolan Park. Named Chapel, the 's Roman Catholic church. for General Dennis E. Nolan, former commander of the Second Corps and FirstArmy on Governors Island in the r93os, this "neighborhood" To the right chapel is the white columned encompasses the oldest residential buildinLgs on the Building 3 the FortJay YMCA. Built in 19z6,1t a social and gn recreation for soldiers stationed a wayfrom H A bird's eye view of Fort Jay, the ferry in the background, 1 984. home and its hosted school plays community The oldest structure on Governors Island is Fort musicals, Jay. The walls and gate of the fort were rebuilt in 18o6 to replace a series of earthen forts built inr776 Next door, at end of the andry94. The gate dates to r796,the walls to 18o6 street is the theater, m and the barracks on the inside the fort to 1834. The barracks were first as officers housing, then family Building Builtin 1939, ru housing from the it seats 7oo In r95o, E r93os to 1996. The you could see runmovles cannons at either here for 18 Officer residences in Nolan Park. side of the gate date Veer left island. The yellow houses around the parl< were to the Civil \Øar, the parking builtbetween 1854 ardrgoz as single or double about1864. Enter the original family officers'quarters. The houses are fur a into the fort, then standard vernacular style as slpecified by Lr.S. Atmy Battery, turn around going Quartermaster plans, with spacious interiors and Building 105 Building back to Building ro5 open porches. At the northern end of Nolan Park sit with its across from the entrance to Nolan Park and turn left. a number of prominent brick buildings. sandstone foundation. history is that of the island - Building r2s-Pershing r, the Admiral'si or Commanding Quarters Hall Officer's was constructed in 1843 Quarters, The former headquarters according to the plans of Martin E. Thompson, a building for the First Army leading New York architect. llhe house was assigned and the Coast Guard to the highest ranking officer on the post. rlt was the Atlantic A¡ea Command. It home of General \Øinfield Scott Hancock during his has murals about American run for president in r88o.